A Little More About Me

Here are some photos I took today that tell you some things about me. (These are once again outside of Granville, this time in Bennington, Vermont, but I promise I'll get back to Granville tomorrow!)

I currently work at Bennington College, a small liberal arts college with an excellent pedigree. In particular, many writers, dancers, actors, and artists have attended Bennington, including the famed 20th-century Abstract Expressionist painter Helen Frankenthaler and, in more recent decades, the actor Peter Dinklage. Martha Graham spent her formative years in the 30s in residence here.

On my office wall hangs an Audubon clock that tweets a bird song every hour on the hour. There's only one volume setting -- loud -- so it often startles guests in my office, and sometime me! I worked for the National Audubon Society, a leading bird protection organization, for 20 years in a variety of capacities. 

Also on my wall are two framed posters of "The Gates," a legendary public art project mounted in Manhattan's Central Park by Jean-Claude and Christo in February 2025. I grew up in New York City, though not in Manhattan, but in Queens, and commuted from Brooklyn to Manhattan when I worked for Audubon. I loved The Gates. Walking under the safron-colored drapes on a chilly early-spring morning was a beautiful experience.

Speaking of birds and early spring, today is the first sunny and warm day we have had since November and maybe earlier. When I arrived on campus this morning, the Eastern Bluebirds were in full-throated song and Common Grackles were streaming in overhead.